A/N: Hello guys! I have another story for you! I'm hoping that this one will actually get off the ground. So basically it's a group of one-shots (there are connected ones, though), about my AU Hetalia universe. The words in Italics are spoken in a foreign language because I don't want to use Google Translate to butcher the beautiful languages of the world. If you know how to say the phrases correctly, however, feel free to tell me how and I'll fix it!
Enjoy! R&R~ I love you guys. :)
Feliciano bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for his best friend Ludwig to finish packing his bag. Feliciano's twin, Lovino, leaned against the locker; texting and cursing under his breath periodically.
"So we could go to your house and study! We can have a snack and you can help me with algebra~" Feliciano chirped absentmindedly.
"No." Ludwig answered almost before the other had stopped speaking, a little too sharply. Feliciano stopped bouncing. Lovino stepped in front of him protectively.
"Don't talk to my brother like that." He growled. Feliciano peeked around his brother, his chocolate eyes confused. He bit his lip and tucked an auburn lock of hair behind his ear.
"Luddy?"
Ludwig closed his locker. "I'm sorry, Feliciano. We can't go to my house today." He hefted his backpack over his shoulder with a grunt. "Would you like to go to the park instead?"
Lovino crossed his arms. He looked from Ludwig to his brother, then back to Ludwig. He had never trusted the German. His cold blue eyes, slicked-back hair, and unearthly work ethic set off warning bells which Lovino had trouble ignoring. His brother being so flaky, Lovino had developed a keen danger instinct over the years. Ever since they could walk, Lovino had been grabbing at his brother, pulling him back before he could tumble down the stairs or skip into a street of traffic.
Now there was this kraut. His AP World History book felt heavy in his red, white and green backpack. Didn't the Germans take advantage of the Italians? His stereotypically Italian twin was being drawn right into the clutches of this blond Hitler.
Feliciano reached down to pick up his bag, which seemed more like a floppy shell of a backpack due to its lack of books. Ludwig, despite the weight of the books on his back, easily bent and scooped it up for him. Feliciano smiled, the premature laugh lines around his eyes deepening. The worry-crease between Ludwig's blond brows softened as his own face melted into an almost-smile. The Italian laced his slender, artist's fingers through Ludwig's sausage-like ones.
Lovino had to do something. He had to expose this potato-sucker for what he was.
"Hey Kraut, why can't we go to your house?" He said suddenly, wrapping a fist around the fabric at the back of his brother's shirt, ready to pull him away and run. He was good at running. Hell, he was the track star. Better than the seniors. Rigid and quivering, he waited for Ludwig to answer.
"What are you doing?" Feliciano whispered over his shoulder in Italian, trying to look at Lovino with teary eyes. "Don't be mean."
"Shut up, I'm saving you." He whispered back.
Lovino took a breath and stepped forward, pulling his brother behind him and out of the German's grasp. He repeated his question. "Well? Why can't we go to your house?"
"Because it's dirty." Ludwig said uneasily. He seemed to force himself to look Lovino in the eyes. Lovino stared him down.
"Bullshit." He said easily, beginning to gain confidence. He had a foothold, the kraut was nervous. His heart rate sped up; he clenched his fists. He pressed on before the adrenalin rush faded. "What are you hiding in there, Nazi? A bunch of Jews you've deemed not worthy? C'mon, everyone knows that your brother's a neo-Nazi who worships the Prussian kings like gods. Why would you be different?"
Feliciano squeaked, and Ludwig's mouth opened in surprise. Color rushed his pale cheeks as he struggled to find words.
Feliciano spoke first, in Italian. "Lovino, why are you being so mean?"
Lovino didn't answer. He took another step forward. "Well? Gonna answer me Beilschmidt?"
Ludwig's face was red with embarrassment and quiet rage. He closed his eyes, composing himself. They snapped open a moment later, the ice in the blue pools causing a shiver to run down Lovino's spine. "Fine. Come with me then. I'll show you I'm not hiding anything."
Lovino quietly released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The fight left him, and he staggered backwards slightly, into his brother's steadying hands. He straightened, adjusted his messenger bag on his shoulder and stuck one hand in his pocket. He tugged at the gold cross around his neck with the other. Trying to regain his bravado, he glared at Ludwig from under heavy lids.
"Let's go then. Lead the way."
Ludwig nodded, and the twins followed him down the darkening hall, out the doors and onto the street.
Ten tense minutes of walking later, the trio found themselves at a door on a side street in the inner city. The door might once have been painted green, or maybe it was just the mold blossoming in the woodwork like algae beneath the surface of a lake.
"This it?" Lovino asked as Ludwig unlocked the door. The German didn't reply, putting his shoulder against the door and shoving against it roughly. With a horrid scraping of wood and shrieking of hinges, it popped open, revealing a dark staircase.
"Watch out, the steps are a bit loose." Ludwig cautioned, mostly to Feliciano, who immediately grabbed his elbow. They started up the steep stairs; Ludwig's footsteps thundering like a herd of elephants against the wood while Feliciano's tapped a soft rhythm. Lovino trailed behind, feeling slightly claustrophobic as the door swung shut behind him.
Ludwig's tall frame cast a shadow as he opened the door at the top and switched on a light. Feliciano crept in behind him and Lovino heard him gasp. He quickened his steps, the sound of his feet hitting the squeaky planks echoing around him. He had fallen pretty far behind, and he still had quite a ways to go before he reached the landing. The darkness began to close in on him, the square of yellow light at the top growing smaller. Dust motes swirled in front of his eyes, blurring the sacred light. The light was growing smaller. Soon it was only a sliver, and with a bang the door shut.
The darkness was overwhelming. He held a hand in front of his face and couldn't see it. His mouth went dry, icy terror surged in his veins. Cold despair set in, his limbs went numb.
He hated lots of things; bugs, British food, American food, German food, Germans, cold weather, but the thing he hated most, above all others, was the dark. It was embarrassing really, how afraid he was.
There was a roaring bark at the top of the stairs. Lovino froze, his heart stopping its racing beats. The door creaked back open, a bulky shadow obscuring the light from the floor to about half way up. Lovino screamed.
